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Posted on 09/26/2001 10:53:01 PM PDT by Pericles

September 27, 2001

THE ALLIANCE

U.S. Says Military Strikes Are Just a Part of Big Plan

By JAMES DAO with PATRICK E. TYLER

BRUSSELS, Sept. 26 — Facing some skepticism from NATO allies over going to war to eradicate terrorism, the Bush administration said today that military operations would not be the "primary piece" of its campaign.

At a meeting of NATO defense ministers that offered the administration a first opportunity to convey detailed plans to the alliance, some European states pressed for, but did not get, a detailed showing of evidence that would justify any attack on Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network in Afghanistan.

Rudolf Scharping, the German defense minister, said he had expected Paul D. Wolfowitz, the deputy defense secretary, to arrive with a "white paper" spelling out the evidence connecting terrorist acts to Al Qaeda.

But administration officials are still debating how much information to make public since much of it rests on secret communications intercepts. The allies had been led to expect more by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell's statement last Sunday that the government would "put before the world, the American people, a persuasive case." [Page B4.]

After the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, NATO invoked for the first time an article of its founding treaty that says an attack on one member will be considered an attack on all. A sustained alliance military campaign against terrorism seemed possible, but today Mr. Wolfowitz said: "If we need collective action, we will ask for it. We don't anticipate that for the moment."

Before the NATO meeting, a senior Pentagon official told reporters that the United States would ask the alliance for logistical, intelligence and other support, but "the military piece is not the primary piece."

Some American military planners expressed private frustration today about the unattractive array of military options in war-torn Afghanistan, where destitute refugees were reported to be in flight toward the sealed borders of Iran and Pakistan.

As a result, the Bush administration was being forced to broaden the scope of its planning for a possible humanitarian disaster while also lowering somewhat expectations for a major military campaign, officials said. Expectations had been raised by a steady buildup of American troops and aircraft in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere.

"The people of Afghanistan are already beginning to suffer the humanitarian consequences from this — just in anticipation of events," a senior Pentagon official said, referring to possible military strikes against Mr. bin Laden's network.

Russia has helped decisively in preparations for any military action in Afghanistan and today it was rewarded. The United States, in a clear shift, stated for the first time that the Al Qaeda network played a role in inciting the bloody rebellion in the Russian territory of Chechnya, where the Russian Army has been accused of using indiscriminate force against civilians and committing numerous human rights abuses in putting down the revolt.

Mr. Wolfowitz provided an overview of the administration's case against Mr. bin Laden, but did not go into detail, officials said.

In public remarks, Mr. Wolfowitz said the "evidence is there for the whole world to see."

"Many of the people in this room watched it live on television," he said, referring the images of aircraft crashing into the World Trade Center. "There is no question that the Al Qaeda organization has been convicted in courts of law for acts of terrorism, including the bombing of our embassies in East Africa."

The desire of some ministers for more evidence caused tension, but in the end there was at least public backing from the allies for the administration's antiterror campaign.

Still, as Mr. Wolfowitz explained that the United States would seek different kinds of help from NATO states, some worried that the American approach could lead to a wider war. "Most people in Europe would like to see that only the ones who are found guilty are hunted down and penalized," one NATO official said.

The NATO secretary general, Lord Robertson, questioned whether it was even necessary for "an ally to produce evidence."

Even as administration officials voiced confidence that Mr. bin Laden was guilty, they seemed less sure that he could be brought to justice simply by military strikes.

"The diplomatic instrument with the intelligence instrument with the military instrument," a senior administration official said, "are much more effective than any one of them individually." It is important to understand, the official emphasized, "that if we take military action, one of the major objectives of that action will be to get more information; there is nothing more important in this war than information."

Administration officials said today that they were urgently trying to marshal food aid for the Afghan people.Just a week ago, White House officials were opposed to efforts to send more aid, saying it would fall into the hands of Taliban fighters.

The International Monetary Fund today approved a $135 million loan installment for Pakistan in a sign that economic policy was being used to shore up critical allies.

The shift in the administration's Russia policy was first announced at the White House, when Mr. Bush's spokesman, Ari Fleischer, delivered a strong expression of gratitude and support to the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, for aligning Russia with the United States against terrorism. In doing so, another senior Bush administration official said, "We know that Al Qaeda has exploited the war in Chechnya, may have even helped to provoke it."

These remarks showed how much importance the Bush administration attached to Mr. Putin's identification with the Western cause. Russia agreed to open air corridors and played a decisive role in persuading Central Asian states to open bases for military and relief operations on Afghanistan's northern flank.

Mr. Fleischer's remarks were a sharp reversal of Mr. Bush's tone on Chechnya. During the presidential campaign, Mr. Bush said that international financing for Russia should be cut off because of Mr. Putin's crackdown in Chechnya. "This guy, Putin, who is now the temporary president, has come to power as a result of Chechnya," Mr. Bush said in a television interview in February 2000. Mr. Putin dealt with Chechnya in a way "that's not acceptable to peaceful nations," he said.

At a meeting with Muslim leaders today, Mr. Bush stopped short of Mr. Fleischer's comments, saying that Mr. Putin should "deal with the Chechnya minority in his country with respect" for human rights.

"I would hope that the Russian president while dealing with the Al Qaeda organization also respects minority rights within his country."

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